Apparatus for detecting fires



W 1938- D. A. FELTON APPARATU FOR DETECTING FIRES Original Filed July 26, 1932 Patented May 31, 1938 APPARATUS FOR DETECTING FIRES Donald Ashby Felton, London, England, assignor,

mesne assignments, to American-La France- Foamite Corporation, a corporation of New York- Application July 26,

1932, Serial No. 624,810. Itenewed July 8, 1937. In Great Britain September 16, 1931 25 Claims.

This invention consists in apparatus for carrying out a method of detecting fires at different localities and particularly in the holds of ships or other compartments, which consists in continuously passing from each locality a confined stream of the atmosphere of that locality, grouping said streams, testing them in situ in the group one by one for smoke by illuminating such streams, maintaining a light-sensitive cell subject to such illumination, and causing the cell to receive selectively in succession such'light as passes thereto therebyindicating smoke when present. The illumination of the stream flows may be by passing emanations from a light source lengthwise through all the grouped stream flows in situ in the group, either allat once or one at a time, and

individually and successively onto a smoke detector, as a selenium, or other photoelectric cell -or means sensitive to emanations from a light source.

The method may be carried out with the aid of a. considerable variety of apparatus and not alone with the particular apparatus chosen for illustration in the drawing which apparatus however, is part of the invention and is considered preferable to other embodiments. I

Referring to the drawing: Fig. l is a sectional elevation of a smoke detector device illustrating one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan corresponding to Fig. l with parts broken away to show internal structure. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a modified and preferred form, and 'Fig. 4 is a detail plan of an intermittent driving connection applicable to either form of'the device. In'both the illustrated embodiments of the invention, pipes I are organized in a fixed group preferably parallel to, equidistant from, and spaced at equal angles around a. common a'xis. These pipes, which may be cross-partitioned oil from an annular casing, as indicated, so as to be contiguous, are of opaque material, as and have light entry portions and light exit portions, the ends, in the structures of Figs. 1 and 3, wherein the pipes are open to the passage of light 'through'both ends which are closed with glass or other transparent or translucent material 2. They are each in communication with a-diflerent hold of a ship, or other separatecompartment, by aninlet pipe 3 near one end, arid with common exhaust means by an outlet pipe l near the other. The streams are thus conducted through grouped elongatedparallelcourses. It is convenient to locate this assemblage of pipes in an outer casing 5, wherein it is supported by the cross-partitions 6 and l near opposite ends brass,

light variation between pipes.

of the casing. The partition 6 may serve to support a fixed source of light as the lamp 8, coaxial with the circle in which the pipes are located and whose rays reflected by the angular, annular mirror, or set of mirrors, 9, are reflected at the same time lengthwise into and through each of the pipes equally. In this arrangement the pipes are contiguous, thus avoiding The end portion Ill of the casing 5 divided off by the partition I and which constitutes a common sub-atmospheric pressure chamber to which all the outlet pipes 4 deliver is in communication with an exhaust fan ll; driven by electric motor i2 and of a size suited to the needs of the particular installation, by piping Iii, M, which includes an intermediate air motor I5 having shaft l6 and which through suitably housed reducing gearing, continuous or intermittent, slowly rotates the shaft I! located in the common axis of the circle of the pipes and mounted in bearings on. the partition I and the end of the casing 5 respectively, as indicated. This gearing, continuous worm and worm wheel in Figs. 1 and 2, is as follows, worm l8 on shaft l6, worm-wheel l9-on one end-of shaft, worm 2| on the-other and worm-wheel 22 on shaft H. The shaft l1 passes through a light excluding blackened flanged cover member 23, and has a radial arm 24 within the dark chamber thus formed and which carries a smoke detector member 25, as a selenium or other photoelectric cell or other means responsive to emanations from the lamp. The smoke detector is preferably a closed circuit detector. The member 25 has the screen or hood 26 shielding it from extraneous light, and is located in a-control circuit including commutator rings 21, 28, contact springs 29, 30, respectively pressing thereon, a source of current and relay 3! which on the presence of smoke in the stream under examination closes the normally opencircuitof signal bell 32 and signal light 33. The sensitive cell is within range of light passing through the light exit portions of the pipes, i. e. where such-light can reach and affect it. The change in'lllumination due to the smoke alters the current flow in the control circuit in the known way according to the nature of the cell, or equivalent device and its circuit.

'Shaft H has a radial arm 38 constituting a pointer, and cover 23 a dial n bered to corre spend with the several pipes an their compart ments, the dial and pointer being observable through the transparent window 35 and indicating the location of the fire. I

In the apparatus illustrated and Just de cribed in detail and in other apparatus in which the invention may be embodied, there is a smoke detector scanner having in operative alignment a smoke detector cell and a source of emanations to which said cell is sensitive. Each of the simultaneously-maintained stream flows has a portion accessible to said emanations, the said portions being grouped for test, and means are provided for causing said line of operative alignment to extend into one of said portions onto said cell 'and for shifting said line to cause it to extend in each said stream fiow portion onto the cell.

By applicant's method streams of the atmosphere of each hold under supervision are produced, grouped and continuously maintained with a regular rate of flow and are tested individually and repeatedly in situ in the group, i. e. without diversion of any stream, the testing being accomplished by illuminating said undiverted streams, all at once or one at a time, and causing emanations from the light source emergent from the respective stream flows to fall, in turn, upon the smoke detector member, detection of fire being indicated by the electric signal and the particular hold ascertained by observing the pointer 34 through the window 35. The details of electric indication may be varied as desired. The rate of rotation of the shaft I1 is such that the selenium cell sweeps over the ends of the respective pipes slowly enough to permit adequate examination and testing thereby of each pipe and its compartment. The flow of all the pipes is uniform, as is also the distribution of light to the respective tubes.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated'in Fig. 3 is in all respects the same as that of Figs. 1 and 2, save that the shaft I1 is extended through bearing 36 on partition I to bearing 31 on partition 6 and carries just below the lower ends of the pipes a radial arm 38 in the same vertical plane as that of the arm 24 and carrying .a lamp 8' at its end, the electrical connections being essentially as in Fig. 1 or otherwise suitable, so that the light and cell are presented at the same time to the opposite ends of each pipe in turn. The vertical arrangement is most convenient but evidently not essential.

Where desired the drive of the shaft I! in either of theembodiments may be intermittent with a dwell at each position of registry of thecell, or cell and light bulb, with a pipe. As illustrated in Fig. 4, where an intermittent worm drive is shown, the straight part of the worm 39 produces a dwell, and the angular part pushes the adjacent pin or stud 40 to the right as there indicated.

I claim:

1. Apparatus-for detecting fires at different localities comprising a plurality of pipes leading respectively from such different localities and organized into a group, means for continuously and simultaneously passing streams of atmosphere from the several localities through the respective pipes, and maintaining them in established several normal courses in which also they are tested,

a light responsive stream-analyzing and signalsimultaneously maintaining separate atmospheric stream flows from said respective localities in like established several courses in which also they are tested and which are grouped, light sensitive means for testing said stream flows individually for suspended particles, means for illuminating individual stream flows in situ in the group, means including a moving member for subjecting in turn each illuminated stream flow while in its established normal course to test by said light sensitive means, an electric signal controlled by said light sensitive means, and operative connections between said light sensitive meansyand said signal.

3. Apparatus for detecting fires at different localities by ascertaining the presence of particles suspended in atmospheric stream fiows respectively therefrom, comprising means for continuously and simultaneously producing stream flows of the atmosphere from the respective localities and maintaining them in like established noriiial courses circularly grouped and in which also they are tested, a light sensitive member, a signai'controlled by said light sensitive member, means for illuminating said stream flows in their established normal courses, and means including a rotary driven member for bringing said light sensitive member and said illuminating means into cooperative relation with the stream flows individually and in turn so as to ascertain the presence of suspended particles therein.

4. Apparatus for detecting fires at difierent localities comprising a group of pipes .each corresponding to one of said localities and in communication withits atmosphere, means for continuously and simultaneously passing streams of atmosphere from the several localities through the respective pipes, each pipe having a light entry portion and a light exit portion, means comprising a light source for transmitting light to said pipes through said light' entry portions to the stream flow, a light sensitive cell common to said pipes located within range of light passing through said exit portions, and means for causing said cell to receive thereon in turn such light from said source as passes through the light exit portion of each said pipe.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 having the pipes arranged in a circle and having their light I mounted for rotation about the axis of the circle i into line with each of the light exits in turn.

6. Apparatus for detecting fires at different localities comprising a group of pipes each corresponding to one of said localities and in communication with its atmosphere, means for continuously and simultaneously passing a stream of atmosphere from each locality through the pipe in the group corresponding thereto, each pipe having a light entry portion and a light exit portion, means comprising a light source for transmitting light tosaid pipes through said light entry portions to the stream flow and from said light exit portions, a smoke detector member common to said group, sensitive to emanations from the light source and located within range of light passed through said light exit por tions, and driven means maintaining the smoke detector member subject to illumination by said light source and subjecting it successively and selectively to emanations from the light source after their passage through the respective stream flows.

7. Apparatus for detecting fires at diiferent localities comprising a group of pipes each corresponding to one of said localities and in communication with the atmosphereof that locality, and means for passing atmosphere from each locality through the pipe in the group corresponding thereto, said pipes having both ends open to the passage of'light and their ends from which the light issues being contiguous to each other and arranged in a circle, means comprising a light source located at one end of said group for passing light lengthwise through the respective stream flows, a smoke detector member common to said group, sensitive to emanations from the light source and located at the other end of said group, and driven means rotatable about an axis containing the center of the circle maintaining the light detector member within the field of illumination and subjectlng it successively and selectively to emanations from the light source after their passage through respective observation pipes.

8. Apparatus for detecting fires in compartments comprising a series of grouped pipes each in communication with one of the compartments, means for producing and simultaneously maintaining a stream of atmosphere from each of said compartments through said respective pipes, each pipe having a light entry portion and a light exit portion, means comprising a light source for transmitting light to said pipes through said light entry portions to the stream flow, a smoke detector member common to said group and movable in a prescribed path past said light exit portions, said smoke detector member being sensitive to emanations from the light source, and means for moving said smoke detector member into line in turn with said light exit portions to receive such emanations as pass therethrough'.

9. Apparatus for detecting fires in compartments comprising a series of grouped compartment pipes each in communication with one of the compartments, means for producing and simultaneously maintaining a stream of atmosphere from each of said compartments through said respective pipes, said pipes having light entry portions at one end and light exit portions at the other,-a source of light common to said 'pipes at the light entry end of the group and reflector means adjacent the light entry ends of the pipes and facing the light source for simul-' 'taneously reflecting light from said light source through the light entry portions of all of said pipes, and a smoke detector member responsive to light passing through the'light exit portions and mounted for movement past them, and meanaior moving said smoke detector member into line in turn with said light exit portions.

10. Apparatus for detecting fires in compartments comprising a series of grouped pipes each in communication with its respective compartment, and having nds permitting the passage of light therethrough, means iorproducing and simultaneously maintaining a stream'oi atmosphere from each of said compartments through said respective pipes, a source of light and .a

smoke detector member responsive to emanations therefrom located respectively at opposite ends of said pipes and fixed in line with the pipe ends and with each other for movement as, a unit, and means to move both said smoke detector member and said source of light into line with each of said streams in turn whereby the emanations from the light source pass through the stream being tested on to the smoke detector member.

11. Apparatus ior detecting fires at different localities comprising a group of pipes each coriording light rays ingress to said stream flows and egress therefrom, means comprising a light source for illuminating said stream flows, a light sensitive member within range of light after its emergence from said stream flows, and driven means including a moving part for maintaining said light sensitive member subject to illumination by light emergent from each stream flow in situ and in turn.

12. Apparatus for detecting fires in compartments comprising a fixed set of grouped pipes having both ends closed with transparent or translucent material and arranged in a circle, a sub-atmospheric pressure chamber, piping placing each pipe in commimication near one end with its compartment and near the other with said chamber to produce and maintain streams through said pipes for the atmosphere of the respective compartments, a shaft coaxial with the circle of pipes, a light source for passing light lengthwise through each of saidstreams from one end, a smoke detector member sensitive to emanations from the light source, said member being carried by said shaft beyond the end of the set of pipes from which the light issues and at the same radial distance from the.

. to said smoke detector member, and means for rotating said shaft to bring the smoke detector member into line with each of said pipes in turn thus subjecting said member to light which ha passed through the pipe being tested.

13,. Apparatus for detecting fires in compartments comprising a. fixed set of grouped pipes having both ends closed with transparent or translucent material and arranged in a circle, .a subatmospheric pressurechamber, piping placmg each pipe in communication near one end with its compartment and near the other with said chamber to produce and maintain streams throughsaid pipes oi the. atmosphere of the respective compartments, a shaft coaxial with the circle of pipes, a light source, and. a smoke detector member sensitive to emanations there- I from, both carried by said shaft infixed spaced relation to each other beyond the opposite ends of'the pipe group at the same radial distance from the common axis as the adjacent pipe ends,

indicating means operatively connected e1ectrically to the smoke detector member, and means for rotating said shaft to bring the smoke detector member and light source into line with each of said pipes in turn thus subjecting the smoke detector member to light which has passed through the pipe being tested.

14. Apparatus for detecting fires in compart-' ments comprising a series of parallel compartment pipeseach having both ends closed by transparent or translucent material and arranged in a circle, means for producing and simultaneously maintaining a stream of its atmosphe'r'e from each oi said compartments through said respective pipes, a smoke detector member and means for rotating it about the center of said circle in egg: adjacent and opposed to one-set of said clos ends to bring it in regular succession during each rotation into alignment with each stream, and means for passing light through said streams from the other set of closed ends .on to said smoke detector member.

15. Apparatus for detecting fires in compartments comprising a series of parallel compartment pipes each having both ends closed by transparent or translucent material, means for producing and simultaneously maintaining a stream of atmosphere from each of said compartments through said respective pipes, a smoke detector member and a light source held in fixed relation thereto beyond and in line with the opposite ends of said pipes, and means for moving said light source and smoke detector simultaneously in paths adjacent said respective ends to pass light through each of said streams in succession from the light source onto the smoke detector.

16. Apparatus for detecting fires in compartments comprising an external casing, cross partitions therein, one 'of which divides off-from one end of the casing, a sub-atmospheric chamber, a fixed group of parallel pipes located in the casing between said partitions, said pipes being arranged in a circle and spaced at equal angles about its center and registering with openings in the partition walling ofi the sub-atmospheric chamber, means for connecting each pipe adjacent one end to a compartment and adjacent the other to the sub-atmospheric pressure chamber to maintain simultaneously a flow through said pipes of the respective atmosphere of said compartments, the ends of said pipes being closed with transparent or translucent material, a dark chamber formed within the subatmopheric pressure chamber at the side of the said cross partition and facing the same and the adjacent ends of said pipes, a shaft coaxial with the circular set of pipes, a hooded smoke detector member within said park chamber carried by said shaft at the same radial distance from its axis as that of the pipes, signalling means operatively connected electrically to said smoke detector member, means to rotate said shaft to cause the smokedetector member to move successively into line with the adjacent ends of said pipes in turn, and a lightsource for passing light through each of said pipes" from its other end lengthwise of the pipe on to the smoke detector member in line with said pipe.

17. Apparatus for detecting fires at difi'erent localities comprising grouped pipes each corresponding to one of said localities and in communication with its atmosphere, means for continuously and simultaneously passing streams of atmosphere from the several localities through the respective pipes, each pipe having alight entry portion and a light exit portion, means comprising a light source for transmitting light to said pipes through said light entry portion to the stream flow and from said light exit portio1 a light sensitive cell common to said pipes located within range of light passed through said light exitlportions, and means for causing said cell to receive thereon 'im turn, in a,continuous succession, light from said source passed through said light entry and light exit portions of each said pipe.

18. Apparatus for detecting fires at different localities, as set forth in claim 17, in which the means for continuously and simultaneously passe ing streams of atmosphere from the several 10- calities through the respective pipes includes a common sub-atmospheric chamber with which the light delivery ends of the pipes are in communication and air evacuating means in communication with said chamber, and in'which the light entry portions of the pipes are at one end of the'pipes and the light exit portions are at the other, and a dark chamber containing and protecting the light sensitive cell and facing the light exit ends of the pipes.

19. Apparatus for detecting fires at different localities, as set forth in claim 17, in which the pipes have parallel contiguous portions equidistant from a common longitudinal axis and have also light entry and light exit portions'at opposite ends, and in which there is a chamber facing the light exit portions of the pipe ends and containing the light sensitive cell, means for blocking off extraneous light from said cell,

and indicator means operable by said cell when smoke is present in the observation pipe being tested.

20. Apparatus for detecting fires at different localities, as set forth in claim 17, in which contiguous parallel pipe portions open at each end to the passage of light are provided by concentric cylinchers and radial partitions equally subdividing the annular space between the cylinders and in which the light-sensitive cell is rotatable over and in line with the contiguous pipe ends about their common longitudinal axis, means for blocking ofi extraneous light from said cell, and means for rotating said cell about said axis. 7

21. Apparatus for detecting fires at different localities comprising a group of pipes each in communication with its respective locality, said pipes having contiguous parallel portions equidistant from a-common longitudinal axis and each having ends permitting the passage of light therethrough, a sub-atmospheric pressure chamber with which said pipes are in communication, means for continuously withdrawing air from said sub-atmospheric chamber thereby producing continuous simultaneous stream flow through said pipes from the several localities,

means comprising a source ofv light for passing light into said pipesithrough the pipe ends remote from the sub-atmospheric chamber, a second chamber facing the other set of pipe ends and receiving light passed lengthwise through said pipes, a'movable light sensitive cell within said second chamber and opposed to the adJacent set of pipe ends, means for rotating said cell about the axis of said group of pipes to bring it successively into line with the respective pipes,

means for blocking ofi extraneous light from said cell, a circuit for said cell including rotary commutator connections, and an indicator electrically operable by said cell circuit.

22. Apparatus for detecting fires at different localities comprising means for simultaneously maintaining separate atmospheric streamfiows from each such locality, a smoke detector scanner having in operative alignment a smoke detector amass? separate atmospheric stream flows from each such locality through the corresponding pipe, a smoke detector scanner having in operative alignment, a smoke detector cell and a source of' emanations to which said cell is sensitive, each. said stream flow having a-portion accessible to said emanations, said portions being grouped for test, an extraneous-light-excluding hood enclosing said cell but having an opening admitting said emanations, means for causing said line of operative alignment to extend into one of said portions and through said opening onto the cell' and for shifting said line to cause it to extend in each said stream flow portion, one at a time, onto the cell. 4

24. Apparatus for detecting fires at different localities comprising grouped pipes each in communication with the atmosphere of the different localities, means for simultaneously maintaining separate atmospheric stream flows from each such locality through the corresponding pipe, a smoke detector scanner having in operative alignment a smoke detector cell and a source of emanations to which said cell is sensitive, each said streamflow having a portion accessible to said emanations, said portions being grouped for test, an extraneous-light-excluding chamber, an extraneous-light-excluding hood within said chamber, said hood enclosing said cell but having an opening admitting said emanations, and said hooded cell being movable past said stream flow portions with its said opening facing the same, means for causing said line of operative alignment to extend into one of said portions and through said opening onto the cell and for shifting said line to cause it to extend in each stream flow portions. one at a time, onto the cell.

25. Apparatus as set forth in claim 23 in which the pipes and the stream flow portions accessible to emanations from the cell are grouped in a circle about an axis and in which means rotatable about the said axis is provided for shifting said line of operative alignment from one of said accessible portions to the next to cause it to extend in turn in each such portion and onto the smoke detector cell.

DONALD ASHBY FELTON. 

